Video Book Log
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Spotlight on safety April 2007
Diversitea splits the line between product and media presentation with its Yoga DVD and related Yoga “paws” to cover hands and feet.
Given the varied workout of lugging gear and swimming entailed in diving combined with the focus on breath control, yoga’s stretches and
breathing exercises are great mental and physical activities for divers. The trouble is, yoga mats take up space and weight that could be used
for diving gear for travelers. Yoga paws provide the traction to move through yoga stretches on dive boats. The DVD, which is sold
separately, demonstrates an 18-minute routine attuned to divers movements that is intended to help limber up and tone muscles, improve air
consumption and aid relaxation. With many charter boats having DVD players on board, it’s possible to get the whole dive party to form an
on-board yoga class. ISBN: none. www.diversitea.com.
Diversitea splits the line between product and media presentation with its Yoga DVD and related Yoga “paws” to cover hands and feet.
Given the varied workout of lugging gear and swimming entailed in diving combined with the focus on breath control, yoga’s stretches and
breathing exercises are great mental and physical activities for divers. The trouble is, yoga mats take up space and weight that could be used
for diving gear for travelers. Yoga paws provide the traction to move through yoga stretches on dive boats. The DVD, which is sold
separately, demonstrates an 18-minute routine attuned to divers movements that is intended to help limber up and tone muscles, improve air
consumption and aid relaxation. With many charter boats having DVD players on board, it’s possible to get the whole dive party to form an
on-board yoga class. ISBN: none. www.diversitea.com.
Shark classic is re-released July 2007
Before fictional “Jaws” made viewers cower in theater seats Blue Water White Death documented the power of the white shark. The
groundbreaking film directed by adventurer Peter Gimbel propelled the career of cinematographer Stan Waterman and set a box office
record take of $5 million in 1971. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is re-releasing the film this month in DVD, allowing movie buffs to once again
see the film that inspired Peter Benchley to create the “Jaws” series. The movie follows the movements of the ocean’s top predator on a
12,000-mile odyssey from Durban, South Africa and across the Indian Ocean. In addition to the film, the disk includes commentaries by
shark experts Ron and Valerie Taylor and a profile on Waterman. It also includes featurettes on diving coordinator Rodney Fox, one of the
few divers to ever survive a white shark attack, and on the challenges of creating the film. Look for this DVD in book and video stores.
ISBN: 0-27616-08022-6
Before fictional “Jaws” made viewers cower in theater seats Blue Water White Death documented the power of the white shark. The
groundbreaking film directed by adventurer Peter Gimbel propelled the career of cinematographer Stan Waterman and set a box office
record take of $5 million in 1971. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is re-releasing the film this month in DVD, allowing movie buffs to once again
see the film that inspired Peter Benchley to create the “Jaws” series. The movie follows the movements of the ocean’s top predator on a
12,000-mile odyssey from Durban, South Africa and across the Indian Ocean. In addition to the film, the disk includes commentaries by
shark experts Ron and Valerie Taylor and a profile on Waterman. It also includes featurettes on diving coordinator Rodney Fox, one of the
few divers to ever survive a white shark attack, and on the challenges of creating the film. Look for this DVD in book and video stores.
ISBN: 0-27616-08022-6
Click To Enlarge
Cave into darkness December 2006
Facing Darkness is a 45-minute DVD documentary from Pixnat that’s a visual appetizer for any diver interested in penetrating caves.
Filmmaker Nathalie Lasselin has assembled interviews with many of today’s top cave explorers, including Lamar Hires, Jim Bowden, John
Orlowsky, John Jones, Bill Rennaker, Jerry Murphy and Hugh Dickson. They tell what draws them to the sport that has logged more than
300 deaths, and of advances in training and gear that have vastly improved safety today. Explorers narrate while the video progresses
through passages of Florida’s limestone caves, providing glimpses of the unique marine life, fossils and formations carved by millions of
years of geologic activity. Beauty of the widescreen presentation may even adamant open water divers to consider cave training. ISBN: 8
27912 05365 4. www.facingdarkness.com.
Facing Darkness is a 45-minute DVD documentary from Pixnat that’s a visual appetizer for any diver interested in penetrating caves.
Filmmaker Nathalie Lasselin has assembled interviews with many of today’s top cave explorers, including Lamar Hires, Jim Bowden, John
Orlowsky, John Jones, Bill Rennaker, Jerry Murphy and Hugh Dickson. They tell what draws them to the sport that has logged more than
300 deaths, and of advances in training and gear that have vastly improved safety today. Explorers narrate while the video progresses
through passages of Florida’s limestone caves, providing glimpses of the unique marine life, fossils and formations carved by millions of
years of geologic activity. Beauty of the widescreen presentation may even adamant open water divers to consider cave training. ISBN: 8
27912 05365 4. www.facingdarkness.com.
Any portal in a dive December 2006
Just in time for the mid-winter blahs, John Chatterton and Richie Kohler released issue two of their Dive Portal DVD magazine that
provides an entertaining virtual dive to enjoy between shoveling snow. Destinations showcased include Curacao, Catalina Island, the Navy
Experimental Dive Unit, Dominican Republic and the Mall of America’s fresh- and saltwater aquaria. Reefs, wrecks, caves and kelp forests
provide stages for their factual presentations interspersed with jokes and antics that keep the pace moving through 75 minutes of video.
Rebreather guru Jeff Bozanic, photographer Marty Snyderman and Dive Heart’s Matt Johnson broaden the scope of destinations in the
video. Interviews with explorer Jill Heinreth and Great Lakes wreck historian Cris Kohl that round it out to nearly two hours of playtime are
informative and personal. No ISBN. www.diveportaldvd.com.
Just in time for the mid-winter blahs, John Chatterton and Richie Kohler released issue two of their Dive Portal DVD magazine that
provides an entertaining virtual dive to enjoy between shoveling snow. Destinations showcased include Curacao, Catalina Island, the Navy
Experimental Dive Unit, Dominican Republic and the Mall of America’s fresh- and saltwater aquaria. Reefs, wrecks, caves and kelp forests
provide stages for their factual presentations interspersed with jokes and antics that keep the pace moving through 75 minutes of video.
Rebreather guru Jeff Bozanic, photographer Marty Snyderman and Dive Heart’s Matt Johnson broaden the scope of destinations in the
video. Interviews with explorer Jill Heinreth and Great Lakes wreck historian Cris Kohl that round it out to nearly two hours of playtime are
informative and personal. No ISBN. www.diveportaldvd.com.
Diving's freedom November 2006
Breaking Free is a touching video on how scuba diving can open up new worlds for people with disabilities. It tracks the progress of a 10-
year old and a 21-year-old college student who have cerebral palsy, as well as a young man who relearned to dive after he lost leg function
to paralysis. They are shown having their first taste of diving in a swimming pool, under the guidance of Handicapped Scuba Association
instructor Stewart Snyder III. After mastering breathing underwater and propelling themselves with hand strokes, they’re ready for the
open ocean off Grand Cayman Island. Underwater shots of lessons being taught and marvels as they explore colorful reefs are intertwined
with comments by the students on how diving helps them focus on their abilities instead of their disabilities. The 20-minute show was
filmed by veteran videographer Jeffrey Salgo for Aqua Rock Productions for presentation on television. However it was shown first in 2006
at the Boston Sea Rovers bringing tears to the eyes of some of the Northeast’s most hardened wreck divers. ISBN: None.
www.AquaRock.com.
Breaking Free is a touching video on how scuba diving can open up new worlds for people with disabilities. It tracks the progress of a 10-
year old and a 21-year-old college student who have cerebral palsy, as well as a young man who relearned to dive after he lost leg function
to paralysis. They are shown having their first taste of diving in a swimming pool, under the guidance of Handicapped Scuba Association
instructor Stewart Snyder III. After mastering breathing underwater and propelling themselves with hand strokes, they’re ready for the
open ocean off Grand Cayman Island. Underwater shots of lessons being taught and marvels as they explore colorful reefs are intertwined
with comments by the students on how diving helps them focus on their abilities instead of their disabilities. The 20-minute show was
filmed by veteran videographer Jeffrey Salgo for Aqua Rock Productions for presentation on television. However it was shown first in 2006
at the Boston Sea Rovers bringing tears to the eyes of some of the Northeast’s most hardened wreck divers. ISBN: None.
www.AquaRock.com.
Virtually a Titanic dive August 2006
OK, it’s not really diving, unless Russia’s MIR submersible is considered one of the world’s most sophisticated drysuits. Still, the History
Channel’s DVD Titanic’s Final Moments, Missing Pieces gives a sense of diving on a wreck that is miles below the deepest feasible
technical dive. Undersea Detectives John Chatterton and Richie Kohler and an all-star cast of scientists and historians led an expedition to
the Titanic in August 2005. They achieved more than their goal of finding new clues to the demise of the “unsinkable” RMS Titanic after it
struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage in April 1912, killing more than 1,500. They also developed a television documentary that
interweaves historic footage, looks at the science and society of the day as well as that of modern times, profiles of the ship’s passengers,
the dynamics of the research team and the progress of a storm that cut short the expedition. More than 100 minutes of the show plus short
features on the Titanic’s sister ships and other maritime mysteries may even help non-divers appreciate the allure of wreck diving. ISBN: 0-
7670-8902-2. Learn more at www.historychannel.com.
OK, it’s not really diving, unless Russia’s MIR submersible is considered one of the world’s most sophisticated drysuits. Still, the History
Channel’s DVD Titanic’s Final Moments, Missing Pieces gives a sense of diving on a wreck that is miles below the deepest feasible
technical dive. Undersea Detectives John Chatterton and Richie Kohler and an all-star cast of scientists and historians led an expedition to
the Titanic in August 2005. They achieved more than their goal of finding new clues to the demise of the “unsinkable” RMS Titanic after it
struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage in April 1912, killing more than 1,500. They also developed a television documentary that
interweaves historic footage, looks at the science and society of the day as well as that of modern times, profiles of the ship’s passengers,
the dynamics of the research team and the progress of a storm that cut short the expedition. More than 100 minutes of the show plus short
features on the Titanic’s sister ships and other maritime mysteries may even help non-divers appreciate the allure of wreck diving. ISBN: 0-
7670-8902-2. Learn more at www.historychannel.com.
Portal to Shadowy Divers July 2006
John Chatterton and Richie Kohler, subjects of Shadow Divers and hosts of TV’s Deep Sea Detectives are trying their hand at periodical
publishing in a DVD magazine called Dive Portal from On The Bottom Productions. Their premiere issue, with more than two hours of
narrated video, takes viewers everywhere from scallop diving off Maine to the bottom of the Belize blue hole, with stops in Palau, Key
Largo’s Aquarius underwater habitat and the Our World Underwater dive show in between. Interviews with pioneers Evelyn Dudas and
Stan Waterman are engaging, as is Chatterton’s folksy banter throughout the DVD. The presentation unfortunately is short on facts. For
instance, we’re told repeatedly that Aquarius is the site of serious scientific research, but not one specific example is cited. Weaving in
geological facts about the formation of the blue hole or Palau’s freshwater Jellyfish Lake would have added to the disk’s educational value.
Still, it’s entertaining and worth looking into issue No. 2, which is to be released this fall. No ISBN. Learn more at www.diveportaldvd.com.
John Chatterton and Richie Kohler, subjects of Shadow Divers and hosts of TV’s Deep Sea Detectives are trying their hand at periodical
publishing in a DVD magazine called Dive Portal from On The Bottom Productions. Their premiere issue, with more than two hours of
narrated video, takes viewers everywhere from scallop diving off Maine to the bottom of the Belize blue hole, with stops in Palau, Key
Largo’s Aquarius underwater habitat and the Our World Underwater dive show in between. Interviews with pioneers Evelyn Dudas and
Stan Waterman are engaging, as is Chatterton’s folksy banter throughout the DVD. The presentation unfortunately is short on facts. For
instance, we’re told repeatedly that Aquarius is the site of serious scientific research, but not one specific example is cited. Weaving in
geological facts about the formation of the blue hole or Palau’s freshwater Jellyfish Lake would have added to the disk’s educational value.
Still, it’s entertaining and worth looking into issue No. 2, which is to be released this fall. No ISBN. Learn more at www.diveportaldvd.com.
Dive Portal No. 3 August 2007
Just because the Discovery Channel wasn’t smart enough to continue Deep Sea Detectives doesn’t mean you can’t keep up with the
antics of John Chatterton and Richie Kohler. In their latest Dive Portal DVD, the Shadow Divers return to their diving roots. For
Chatterton, that’s New Jersey’s commercial Divers Academy, and for Kohler, it’s Port Richie, Fla., where veteran cave instructor
Paul Heinerth takes the Queens native on a tour of Eagle’s Nest cave. The globe-trotting divers take viewers around the diving world,
with stops at Florida’s Spiegel Grove wreck, behind the scenes at Divers Alert Network, to England to dive with legendary wreck
explorer Leigh Bishop and to Micronesia to swim with mantas. The profile segment of their digital magazine is an interview with
diving’s man of facts, Jeffrey Gallant, who produces the “Diving Almanac and Yearbook.” Segments are filled with Chatterton’s and
Kohler’s folksy banter, which makes viewers feel that even they could almost pull off the challenging dives that this duo have under
their weightbelts. ISBN: None. www.diveportaldvd.com.
Just because the Discovery Channel wasn’t smart enough to continue Deep Sea Detectives doesn’t mean you can’t keep up with the
antics of John Chatterton and Richie Kohler. In their latest Dive Portal DVD, the Shadow Divers return to their diving roots. For
Chatterton, that’s New Jersey’s commercial Divers Academy, and for Kohler, it’s Port Richie, Fla., where veteran cave instructor
Paul Heinerth takes the Queens native on a tour of Eagle’s Nest cave. The globe-trotting divers take viewers around the diving world,
with stops at Florida’s Spiegel Grove wreck, behind the scenes at Divers Alert Network, to England to dive with legendary wreck
explorer Leigh Bishop and to Micronesia to swim with mantas. The profile segment of their digital magazine is an interview with
diving’s man of facts, Jeffrey Gallant, who produces the “Diving Almanac and Yearbook.” Segments are filled with Chatterton’s and
Kohler’s folksy banter, which makes viewers feel that even they could almost pull off the challenging dives that this duo have under
their weightbelts. ISBN: None. www.diveportaldvd.com.
Non-food for thought September 2007
Teachers, dive clubs and community groups could do a world of good by showing Our Synthetic Sea to students and members. The
20-minute DVD from Algalita Marine Research Foundation shows how the 100 billion pounds of plastics produced annually in the
U.S. alone never really disappear. Instead, they break apart into ever tinier particles with capabilities of being lethal to animals at all
stages of disintegration. Even when particles are the size of microscopic plankton, they can cause plankton eaters to starve on a
non-nourishing diet of plastic shreds. What is consumed can go up the food chain as well, as ever larger creatures eat smaller ones,
right up to delivering toxins to humans, who are consuming more seafood than ever. Remoteness has little effect on lowering
quantities of plastics, considering that the research for the DVD was conducted in seines of mid-Pacific waters. The non-profit, Long
Beach, Calif., foundation has booklets, classroom materials and flyers as well that call attention to plastics and urge their proper
disposal to keep them from entering the food chain. ISBN: None. www.algalita.org.
Teachers, dive clubs and community groups could do a world of good by showing Our Synthetic Sea to students and members. The
20-minute DVD from Algalita Marine Research Foundation shows how the 100 billion pounds of plastics produced annually in the
U.S. alone never really disappear. Instead, they break apart into ever tinier particles with capabilities of being lethal to animals at all
stages of disintegration. Even when particles are the size of microscopic plankton, they can cause plankton eaters to starve on a
non-nourishing diet of plastic shreds. What is consumed can go up the food chain as well, as ever larger creatures eat smaller ones,
right up to delivering toxins to humans, who are consuming more seafood than ever. Remoteness has little effect on lowering
quantities of plastics, considering that the research for the DVD was conducted in seines of mid-Pacific waters. The non-profit, Long
Beach, Calif., foundation has booklets, classroom materials and flyers as well that call attention to plastics and urge their proper
disposal to keep them from entering the food chain. ISBN: None. www.algalita.org.
Gilboa rocks as a dive site September 2007
Dive quarries are closing for the season throughout the Northeast and Midwest, but there is a handy way to keep the spirit of the
summer season alive during cold months. Gilboa, Ohio, Quarry produced a feature-length DVD of the 14-acre dive facility. Only
about 10 minutes are taken up with the description of its impressive topside amenities, with much of the film devoted to seeing the
underwater sites and creatures. Catfish, bass, bluegill and all sorts of freshwater denizens glide past the camera to appropriately
floating music. There are close ups of various sites such as the jet, helicopter and miscellaneous skiffs and vehicles that have been
sunk for the enjoyment of the 15,000 divers who visit the quarry each year. Training sessions are presented as well, since this is a
major Midwest instruction hub with its series of shallow platforms for open water tests and a section that’s deeper than 130 feet for
technical training in mixed gasses. Although diver Mike Williams developed the site for divers, it offers training in other disciplines as
well, including rappelling, rock climbing and grain silo rescue. It’s a good video to loop on a screen during a dive club’s annual
holiday party. ISBN: 8-37101-34415-9. www.divegilboa.com.
Dive quarries are closing for the season throughout the Northeast and Midwest, but there is a handy way to keep the spirit of the
summer season alive during cold months. Gilboa, Ohio, Quarry produced a feature-length DVD of the 14-acre dive facility. Only
about 10 minutes are taken up with the description of its impressive topside amenities, with much of the film devoted to seeing the
underwater sites and creatures. Catfish, bass, bluegill and all sorts of freshwater denizens glide past the camera to appropriately
floating music. There are close ups of various sites such as the jet, helicopter and miscellaneous skiffs and vehicles that have been
sunk for the enjoyment of the 15,000 divers who visit the quarry each year. Training sessions are presented as well, since this is a
major Midwest instruction hub with its series of shallow platforms for open water tests and a section that’s deeper than 130 feet for
technical training in mixed gasses. Although diver Mike Williams developed the site for divers, it offers training in other disciplines as
well, including rappelling, rock climbing and grain silo rescue. It’s a good video to loop on a screen during a dive club’s annual
holiday party. ISBN: 8-37101-34415-9. www.divegilboa.com.
Zip through a Florida cave May 2008
Cave divers and even those who prefer to leave diving in overhead environments to others will get a kick out of The Caves of Mill
Pond: Jackson Blue from Hi Def Pictures LLC. The system, near Marianna, Fla., also is known as Blue Springs Cave at Merritt's Mill
Pond. A team from the Indianapolis-based video production company mounted high-definition video cameras to the front of a scooter
to zip through a system that some regard as the most beautifully decorated of Florida's caves. The resulting footage is a great way to
show off your high-definition TV when you have diving pals over for a party. Except for a few pauses in the action at restrictions,
passages rush past in a wide-screen format as the team powers from the cavern zone for some 4,450 feet to the end of the gold line.
Except for a short narration at the outset, the 45-minute video is accompanied only with a hard-driving rock beat, which seemed a bit
odd for a company whose goal is to "connect beauty with communication." Hi Def president Bill Baker says the mix was intentional
because "cave divers are much more interested in seeing the system, rather than listening to some guy talk about it." The DVD
includes a photo slide show by photographers Ryan Despain, William Grahm, Keith Mille and Robert Pawlak. See a clip and order it or
other destination guides at www.hidefpics.com.
Cave divers and even those who prefer to leave diving in overhead environments to others will get a kick out of The Caves of Mill
Pond: Jackson Blue from Hi Def Pictures LLC. The system, near Marianna, Fla., also is known as Blue Springs Cave at Merritt's Mill
Pond. A team from the Indianapolis-based video production company mounted high-definition video cameras to the front of a scooter
to zip through a system that some regard as the most beautifully decorated of Florida's caves. The resulting footage is a great way to
show off your high-definition TV when you have diving pals over for a party. Except for a few pauses in the action at restrictions,
passages rush past in a wide-screen format as the team powers from the cavern zone for some 4,450 feet to the end of the gold line.
Except for a short narration at the outset, the 45-minute video is accompanied only with a hard-driving rock beat, which seemed a bit
odd for a company whose goal is to "connect beauty with communication." Hi Def president Bill Baker says the mix was intentional
because "cave divers are much more interested in seeing the system, rather than listening to some guy talk about it." The DVD
includes a photo slide show by photographers Ryan Despain, William Grahm, Keith Mille and Robert Pawlak. See a clip and order it or
other destination guides at www.hidefpics.com.
Virtually dive the U-853 May 2008
Readers who wanted to dive the U-853 after reading Peter Venoutsos' story about the World War II sub in the August 2005 issue of
Northeast Dive News can do so now without getting wet. Venoutsos, through his P.V. Images Productions, recently released a DVD
about the wreck that lies at 130 feet off Block Island, R.I. About half of the 30-minute video is footage of diving in and around the
sub, and describing conditions divers should expect if they attempt to visit the wreck. The first part of the video includes historic
images of the U-boat, its crew and of its demise. In his rich baritone voice, Venoutsos narrates the story of the last German sub to be
sunk in U.S. waters. Dubbed the "tightrope walker" for its ability to elude sub hunters, the U-853's luck ran out when it torpedoed and
sank the USS Black Point off Port Judith, R.I., after Germany had surrendered in World War II. The Navy responded with barrages
of depth charges that left the sub and its crew on the bottom. A Connecticut diver who brought up skeletal remains in 1960 prompted
the movement to leave the dead undisturbed on wrecks. The unknown sailor was buried with full military honors in a Newport
cemetery. Classical music behind the narration gives this video a sense of serenity befitting a war grave. Get a copy directly from
Venoutsos at dive shows where he is a popular presenter or order one through www.pvimages.com.
Readers who wanted to dive the U-853 after reading Peter Venoutsos' story about the World War II sub in the August 2005 issue of
Northeast Dive News can do so now without getting wet. Venoutsos, through his P.V. Images Productions, recently released a DVD
about the wreck that lies at 130 feet off Block Island, R.I. About half of the 30-minute video is footage of diving in and around the
sub, and describing conditions divers should expect if they attempt to visit the wreck. The first part of the video includes historic
images of the U-boat, its crew and of its demise. In his rich baritone voice, Venoutsos narrates the story of the last German sub to be
sunk in U.S. waters. Dubbed the "tightrope walker" for its ability to elude sub hunters, the U-853's luck ran out when it torpedoed and
sank the USS Black Point off Port Judith, R.I., after Germany had surrendered in World War II. The Navy responded with barrages
of depth charges that left the sub and its crew on the bottom. A Connecticut diver who brought up skeletal remains in 1960 prompted
the movement to leave the dead undisturbed on wrecks. The unknown sailor was buried with full military honors in a Newport
cemetery. Classical music behind the narration gives this video a sense of serenity befitting a war grave. Get a copy directly from
Venoutsos at dive shows where he is a popular presenter or order one through www.pvimages.com.
Dive in to 'Clam Chowder' April 2008
For a chuckle about stereotypes of diving personalities, Clam Chowder for the Scuba Diver's Soul is a good bet. Debra A. Hill, MD,
and Robert P. Titus shot the 40-minute DVD at Long Beach, Calif., so be prepared for left coast humor as divers relate their tales.
Their basic contention is that divers are normal people until they slip into scuba suits that transform them into superheroes of the
deep. Their description of the content as a combination of a blind date, Monty Python and a bit of "Prairie Home Companion" is a bit
of a stretch. However, it is a good video to share with non-diving friends to help them understand the foibles of you and your diving
buddies. They formed DiveIn productions with a goal of creating a series of "Clam Chowder" videos. Regardless of whether they
produce any more, this is campy enough to create a minor cult following of its own. ISBN: none. E-mail debra@divein.tv
For a chuckle about stereotypes of diving personalities, Clam Chowder for the Scuba Diver's Soul is a good bet. Debra A. Hill, MD,
and Robert P. Titus shot the 40-minute DVD at Long Beach, Calif., so be prepared for left coast humor as divers relate their tales.
Their basic contention is that divers are normal people until they slip into scuba suits that transform them into superheroes of the
deep. Their description of the content as a combination of a blind date, Monty Python and a bit of "Prairie Home Companion" is a bit
of a stretch. However, it is a good video to share with non-diving friends to help them understand the foibles of you and your diving
buddies. They formed DiveIn productions with a goal of creating a series of "Clam Chowder" videos. Regardless of whether they
produce any more, this is campy enough to create a minor cult following of its own. ISBN: none. E-mail debra@divein.tv
Key into good diving April 2008
Northerners considering dive trips to Florida can get help fine-tuning their plans by viewing Diving the Florida Keys: A Video Guide
from Hi Def Pictures. This 45-minute DVD has segments on the region's more popular wrecks, including the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter
Duane, Benwood and City of Washington, plus a 20-minute bonus tour of the Spiegel Grove. Molasses and French reefs, swimming
with dolphins and backcountry fishing round out the water sports presented in this video. Between the dives are interviews with
charter boat operators and a tour of Mel Fisher's Maritime Museum in Key West. Hi Def president Bill Baker, who's produced Emmy
Award-winning video for ESPN and History Channel documentaries, teamed up with Jason Roney, a dive instructor who's traveled
the world pursuing good diving. All video is shot in a wide-screen high-definition format that will show off your wall-sized plasma
TV. So pop some corn, invite your diving and non-diving friends over and get a conversation going about a road trip to the Keys.
ISBN: none. www.hidefpics.com
Northerners considering dive trips to Florida can get help fine-tuning their plans by viewing Diving the Florida Keys: A Video Guide
from Hi Def Pictures. This 45-minute DVD has segments on the region's more popular wrecks, including the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter
Duane, Benwood and City of Washington, plus a 20-minute bonus tour of the Spiegel Grove. Molasses and French reefs, swimming
with dolphins and backcountry fishing round out the water sports presented in this video. Between the dives are interviews with
charter boat operators and a tour of Mel Fisher's Maritime Museum in Key West. Hi Def president Bill Baker, who's produced Emmy
Award-winning video for ESPN and History Channel documentaries, teamed up with Jason Roney, a dive instructor who's traveled
the world pursuing good diving. All video is shot in a wide-screen high-definition format that will show off your wall-sized plasma
TV. So pop some corn, invite your diving and non-diving friends over and get a conversation going about a road trip to the Keys.
ISBN: none. www.hidefpics.com
Virtually a Bahama dive January 2008
Northern divers who are put off by winter's cold waters and blew their travel budget on holiday presents may enjoy a virtual dive by
screening Hi Def Pictures' DVD, Diving Grand Bahamas: A Video Guide. Hi Def worked with UNEXSO and a Bahaman diving
facility's staff to create the 45-minute video. It includes vignettes of diving at all skill levels, from people taking Discover Scuba
classes to encounters with shark and dolphins to exploring Ben's Cavern and Mermaid's Lair caves. All footage was shot in
high-definition format for incredibly rich color and sharpness. The guide is available in standard definition as well. Besides underwater
images, the video includes interviews with on-island diving professionals, so it's a handy primer for those who may be planning a trip
there. Hi Def offers similar video guides to other popular destinations, including Roatan, the Florida Keys and Marianna, Florida. Look
for the video at your dive shop or on-line at www.hidefpics.com.
Northern divers who are put off by winter's cold waters and blew their travel budget on holiday presents may enjoy a virtual dive by
screening Hi Def Pictures' DVD, Diving Grand Bahamas: A Video Guide. Hi Def worked with UNEXSO and a Bahaman diving
facility's staff to create the 45-minute video. It includes vignettes of diving at all skill levels, from people taking Discover Scuba
classes to encounters with shark and dolphins to exploring Ben's Cavern and Mermaid's Lair caves. All footage was shot in
high-definition format for incredibly rich color and sharpness. The guide is available in standard definition as well. Besides underwater
images, the video includes interviews with on-island diving professionals, so it's a handy primer for those who may be planning a trip
there. Hi Def offers similar video guides to other popular destinations, including Roatan, the Florida Keys and Marianna, Florida. Look
for the video at your dive shop or on-line at www.hidefpics.com.
Catch the Bass on DVD June 2008
Diving the USS Bass at 160 silty feet off Block Island is definitely an adventure, but it isn't for everyone. Fortunately for we less
adventurous divers, Captain Lou Costello takes you there in his 34-minute DVD The Wreck Hunters: Dive to the wreck of the USS
Bass. Videographer Steve Sheuer accompanies Costello on a series of dives to produce a film that explores the 342-foot World War II
sub from end to end inside and out. In his narration, Costello tells the story of the largest non-nuclear sub the Navy ever built, and
describes the travels and contributions to the war effort of the vessel and its crew. Its last service was after the war ended, when the
Bass was used as target practice on March 18, 1945, which led to its new life as a home for sea life and a magnet to draw serious
technical divers. Costello, Sheuer and fellow diver Curt Umrysz even capture the giddy sense of successfully completing deep dives
well enough to make a viewer feel a narced narced as they head back to port.
ISBN: 6-89076-46792-6. www.wreckhunters.net.
Diving the USS Bass at 160 silty feet off Block Island is definitely an adventure, but it isn't for everyone. Fortunately for we less
adventurous divers, Captain Lou Costello takes you there in his 34-minute DVD The Wreck Hunters: Dive to the wreck of the USS
Bass. Videographer Steve Sheuer accompanies Costello on a series of dives to produce a film that explores the 342-foot World War II
sub from end to end inside and out. In his narration, Costello tells the story of the largest non-nuclear sub the Navy ever built, and
describes the travels and contributions to the war effort of the vessel and its crew. Its last service was after the war ended, when the
Bass was used as target practice on March 18, 1945, which led to its new life as a home for sea life and a magnet to draw serious
technical divers. Costello, Sheuer and fellow diver Curt Umrysz even capture the giddy sense of successfully completing deep dives
well enough to make a viewer feel a narced narced as they head back to port.
ISBN: 6-89076-46792-6. www.wreckhunters.net.
'Trukin' to Palau July 2008
If you're dreaming of a trip to the Pacific Rim, Steve and Kristine Barsky can help refine your fantasies with their new DVD Diving
the Far Pacific: A Taste of Chuuk (Truk) and Palau from their Hammerhead label. Steve narrates the 34-minute segment on Chuuk
and Kristine, the 20-minute one on Palau. Chuuk is Japan's World War II equivalent of the U.S. Pearl Harbor and the video visits all
the popular wrecks there. Data about each ship and the dive is presented in slides before each ship, freeing Steve to just tell tales about
the sunken materiel they contain while Kristine glides easily over artifacts that would have wreaked havoc on U.S. / Allied forces had
Japan's fleet not been sunk here. Drifting strains of Japanese instrumental trio music accompanying the video add a nice touch of
cultural sensitivity for dives through what is essentially a wartime graveyard. Counterbalancing that somber note is seeing the vibrant
waters of Palau. Currents for drift diving draw a kaleidoscope of colorful sea life. Breaking up the fish and plant portraits is a trip to
the fabled Jellyfish Lake. Throughout both segments are safety reminders to wear thicker suits than many do in warm waters, and to
watch depths and bottom times. Good thing. Opening slides tell of substantial depths and cooler water at them. Like the sites, this is a
video that won't be fully appreciated on just one trip through it. ISBN: 978-0-9740923-5-5. www.hammerheadpress.com.
If you're dreaming of a trip to the Pacific Rim, Steve and Kristine Barsky can help refine your fantasies with their new DVD Diving
the Far Pacific: A Taste of Chuuk (Truk) and Palau from their Hammerhead label. Steve narrates the 34-minute segment on Chuuk
and Kristine, the 20-minute one on Palau. Chuuk is Japan's World War II equivalent of the U.S. Pearl Harbor and the video visits all
the popular wrecks there. Data about each ship and the dive is presented in slides before each ship, freeing Steve to just tell tales about
the sunken materiel they contain while Kristine glides easily over artifacts that would have wreaked havoc on U.S. / Allied forces had
Japan's fleet not been sunk here. Drifting strains of Japanese instrumental trio music accompanying the video add a nice touch of
cultural sensitivity for dives through what is essentially a wartime graveyard. Counterbalancing that somber note is seeing the vibrant
waters of Palau. Currents for drift diving draw a kaleidoscope of colorful sea life. Breaking up the fish and plant portraits is a trip to
the fabled Jellyfish Lake. Throughout both segments are safety reminders to wear thicker suits than many do in warm waters, and to
watch depths and bottom times. Good thing. Opening slides tell of substantial depths and cooler water at them. Like the sites, this is a
video that won't be fully appreciated on just one trip through it. ISBN: 978-0-9740923-5-5. www.hammerheadpress.com.
